Releasing hook



O. J. McGOWAN.

RELEASING HOOK.

APPUCATION FILED MAR. 3. 1921.

2 SHEETSSHE Patented Jan.

gum/1 5136% 0. 1. MicGOWAN. RELEASING HOOK.

APPLICATION HLED MA R. 3, I921.

Patented J an; 31, 1922.

To all whom it mwy concern OWEN J. MGGOWAN, 0F

BROOKLYN, NEW vom t.v

RELEASING HOOK.

Application filed March 3, 192a Serial no. 449,365.

One of the objects Of'my present invention is to produce a releasing hook which has all the advantages specified in my Letters Patent above mentioned and in addition provides improved and more readily actuated keying means for securely locking the hook against automatic action, which keying means when in locked or operative position prevents the relative sliding or unlocking movement of the parts of the hookand consequently prevents any pivotal or disengaging movement thereof until this blocking means is removed.

, Removal of such blocking means on a plurality of hooks may be readily accomplished by a single man while the strain ofthe load is on the hook and will thus prepare both.

hooks for automatic release when the'same is relieved from the load, asfor example, when a boat to which the hook is connected is waterborne. p

Another object of my inventionis to pro-. duce a construction of releasing gear in which a pair of automatically-releasable hooks positioned at opposite ends of ,a lifeboat may be quickly and readily locked against automatic action and may be simultaneously by a single operator, unlocked under load so as to cause the automatic releasing features thereof to come into action immediately when'the. strain of the load is relieved by the boat being waterborne.

Another feature of my present invention enables the body portion of a hook of the type patented as aforesaid. to be moved into and locked in fixed upright position during the engaging operation thereby facilitating the hook-engaging and locking operations, and also causing said body portion inthe releasing or disengaging operation to be retained in upright locked position for .a short period of time anduntil the hook-portion Specification of Letters Patent. 'Pmjnted Jan. 31,

I entirely fans y efrom, after'which I I the body or housin will also be permitted t fall inwardly and be out of the way. i

In the preferred form of my invention hook portion, which is pivotally connected to a body-portion or housing so as to be capable of pivotal movement andalso. has'asl ghtunlocking or sliding movement relatively to the body portion or housing, isprovided with means releasablev by the pivotal movement of thehook-portion for latching the body port on in uprightposition and also is provided with pivotally movable keying relative sliding'movement. Means is also preferably provided for simultaneously re'- leasing the pivotally movable keying means on a pair of such hooks to permit such slid-f I .ing or unlocking movement ofthe parts so;

that an automatic release of the hook will of such hooks are mounted is water-borne.

The k eying means preferably coinprises a segment which is preferably pivotally mounted in the body. portion and has av bearlIlg ortion on which the lower end of the.

portion bears when in operative posihook tion. I

lVith these and other objects in View, the invention comprises the' combination .o'f

members and arrangement of parts so com bined as to co-act and cooperate witheach other inthe performancev of the functions].

' and the accomplishment of the results herein contemplated, and comprises in one" of'its adaptations the species or preferred form illustrated'in the accompanying drawings,

in which Fig. 1 is an] elevation partially broken away of a lifeboat suspended from'a pair of davits in which a pairof'my improved hooks fastened against automatic release are mounted and connected to permit simulta- 1 2' is a side elevation partly broken away of my improved hook engaged with a neous unlocking of the fastening means ;j

load and with the fastening means'inlocked position p v i Fig. 3 is a similar side elevation partly broken away of myQimproved hook with the fastening means released and the" hook pormeans forlocking such hook parts against '75 I occur when the strain of theload is relieved as for example, when a boat in which, av pair tion just engaging and releasingth'e'lockg bearing;

ing pawl between the body portion and'itsr hook portions.

Fig. 4 is a side elevation similar to Fig. 3 showing the parts in turned-down position; and

Fig. 5 is a rear end elevation of the hook in the position shown in Fig. 2.

Referring now to these drawings, and more particularly to Fig. 1 thereof, 1 indicates a life-boat which, as shown, is suspended from a pair of davits 2 by tackles 4 connected with a pair of releasing hooks 5 mounted in the life-boat and, as shown, pivotally mounted on bearings 6 fixed on the upper ends of rods 6 which extend to and are fastened to the keel of the life-boat.

In the improved hook of my present invention, each of the releasing hooks 5 embodies (Figs. 2 to 5) a body portion? pivotally mounted on the pivot 7 fixed in the bearings 6, and a hook portion 8 pivotally mounted on the pivot 8 fixed in the body portion so as to swing pivotally in relation to such body portion and also to have a slight sliding movement relatively thereto in order to permit inter-engagement and releasing of cooperating locking notches 9 and 10 provided respectively in said body and The notch 9 is, as shown, formed by "undercutting the head or upper end 7 of the body portion and the notch 10 is formed in the outer periphery or nose of the hook portion 8. The relatively sliding movement between the body and hook portion is preferably procured by elongating the pivot-bearing hole 11 andproviding a sliding space 7 in the body portion below the hook portion so that the hook portion may slide up and down on the pivot 8 but when the parts are swung on the pivot 8 into inter-engagement and the strain of-the load or other pressure is applied on the hook portion 8, the body portion 7 being retained in relatively stationary position on its pivot 7, the hook portion will be moved or slid upwardly relatively to the body portion on the pivot 8 and the locking notches 9 and 10 will be brought into interenga-gement. So soon, however, as the strain or pressure is relieved from the hook, the hook-portion unless fastened or prevented from falling by keying means will automatically and immediately because of the elongated pivot hole 11 and sliding space 7 be moved by gravit relatively to the body portion a suflicient istance to cause the notches to be unlocked and the parts will also immediately have relative pivotal movement to release the ring of the falls of a life-boat or other load.

As shown, the foot-or lower end of the pivoted hook portion 8 is preferably concavely curved at 12 and the sliding space is formed through the body portion below said foot. In this space is pivoted on the pivot 13 supported in the body portion a segmental fastening member or bolt 14 which is movable beneath and into engagement with the concavely-curved hooked portion so as to completely and effectively lock the hook portion against any sliding movement when the parts are in engaged position and said segmental bolt is inserted beneath the said footportion.

Said segmental fastening member or bolt preferably carries releasable latching means,

such as the spring-pressed ball 15, for providing a releasable latching engagement be tween the foot of the hook portion and said segmental fastening or bolt member.

The segmental fastening members 14 at opposite ends of a lifeboat are preferably provided with radially-extending levers 16 and these levers 16 are connected by a connecting rope or like connection 17 which is passed over pulleys 181920 and 21 and extends along the side of the boat to a common operating handle 22.

In the preferred embodiment of my. invention shown said body portion is preferably releasably retained in upright position while the parts are engaged, during the engaging operation and during the pivotal disengaging movement of the hook portion in relation to the body portion, and the hook-portion is weighted at 12 to cause an. overbalancing thereof and a quicker pivotal or disengaging movement.

Said body portion is relatively held in upright position by cooperation of a pin 23 mounted in ears 2& on said body portion which abuts against the stationary base bearing 6 on one side and a pivoted pawl 25 which is mounted on the pivot 13 carried by the said body portion, and this pawl 25 is released by the engagement of the weighted portion 12 of the hook portion during its pivotal movement about the pivot 8, whereby the body portion is when the pawl is so released carried by the weighted hook portion and swung about the mainpivot 7 into the folded-down position of the releasing hook shown in Fig. 4.

The pawl 25 in the preferred embodiment shown is mounted in a housing formed therefor in the fastening member or bolt and has a weighted nose which causes the same to move by gravity into locking engagement with its notch when the body portion is moved to upright. position.

A lanyard 27 is preferably connected to the upper end of the hook portion 8 for throwing the hooked portion to upright or engaging position. g V

The operation of the hook is as follow Assuming that the hook is in the position shown in Fig. 4, the body portion is shoved into upright position whereupon the pawl 25 will fall into a notch 26 and retain the same in such position. The falls ring is placed over the body portion; the lanyard 27 is employed to swing the hook portion about the foot of the v member or bolt is swung into placethe falls rings will be securely locked in the hook.

When now it is'desired to release aboathaving a pair of thesehooks from the falls, it is only necessary to pull the common operating handle 22 or connecting rope 17 whereupon bath fasteningsegments'will be simultaneously removed from looking engagement with the foot portion and the hookwill, although still locked by the strain of the load, be capable of immediate automatic release immediately upon re'lieving such strain,-as for example, when the boatis waterborne. Nhen so released, the hooked portion slides downwardly relatively tothe body to release the inter-engagement of the notches 9 and 10' and then moves pivotally into the position shown in Fig. 3 in which the pawl 25 is released by the weight-portion 12, after which the entire hook which is overbalanced by theweighted hook portion will fall over into the position shown in Figgeand will then be out of the way. I

Having described my invention 1 claim 1. A releasing hook embodying, in comb-ination, a. body portion, a hook portion, said parts being relatively movable pivotally into contact with each other and also having independent relative movement for locking and releasing such contacting parts; and pivotally-movable means associated with said parts for fastening the same against said relative independent movement toretain such parts in looking engagement, and means for releasing such pivotally-movable fastening means.

2. A releasing hook embodying, in combination, a body portion, a hook-portion movable pivotally into contact with the body portion and also having relative sliding movement in relation to said body portion for locking and releasing said body and hook parts; pivotally-movable means associated with said parts for fastening the same against sliding movement to retain such parts in looking engagement and means for releasing such pivotally-movable fastening means.

3. A releasing hook embodying, in combi-- 4:. 'A releasing hook embodying, incombi-f nation, a body portion, a hook portion mov able pivotally into contact with the "body portion and also having a relative sliding movement in relation to said-body portion for locking and releasingsaid parts andpivotally movable means for fastening said parts against sliding movement comprising a segmental blockpivotally mounted within the body portion and means for releasing said segmental block. p 7

5. A releasing hook embodying in combi-- nation a body portion,a hookpo'rtion movable pivotally into engagement with the body portion and also having a relative slid ing movement inlrelationutosaid body portion for'locking and releasing said parts and pivotally movable means for fastening said parts against sliding movement com prising a segmental block pivotally mounted within the body portion and a lever con--. nected to said segmental block for releasing the same from fastening engagement, H

6.7 A releasing hook embodying, incombi; nation, a body portion, a hook-portion mov able pivotally into contact with the body A latching the segmental block to said hook portion.

7. A releasing hook embodying, in combination, a body portion pivotally mounted at its lower end, a hook portion, said parts being movable pivotally into contact with each other and also having a relative sliding movement for locking and releasing said contacting parts and means for releasably latching said pivoted body portion in upright position.

8. A releasing hook embodying, in combination, a body portion pivotally mounted at its lower end, a hook portion, said parts being movable pivotally into contact with each other and also having a relative sliding movement for locking and releasing said contacting parts, means for releasably latching said pivoted body portion in upright position, pivotally-movable means associated with said parts for fastening the same against relative sliding movement to retain such parts in looking engagement, and means for releasing such pivotally-movable locking means.

9. A releasing hook embodying in combination a body-portion pivotally mounted at its lower end, a hook-portion movable pivlife-boats embodying, in combination, a pair of releasing hooks, one of which isconnected to the lowering and raising apparatus at each end of a lifeboat and each comprising a body portion, a hook portion movable pivotally into contact with the bodypor'tion and also having relative sliding -movement in relation to said body portion for locking and releasing said parts and pivotally-m'ovable means associated with said parts for fastening the same against sliding movement to retain such parts in locking engagement, and a connection arranged in the boat. and

' o erativel connected to the fastenin means of said opposite hooks forvsimultaneously releaslng such p1votally-movable fastening means to permlt automat c release of the wow hooks wheathe strain of the load is re leased. 1 '11. A releasing hook embodying in combination a body-portion pivotally mounted at its lower end, a hook portion'movable pivotally into contact with the body-portion and also having a relative sliding movement in rel'ation't'o said body portion for locking and releasing said parts,ineans for releasably latching said body portion in upright position, pivotally-movable meansfor fastening the said parts against sliding movement comprising a segmental block pivotally mounted and housed Within the body por-' tion, means for releasing said segmental block, means for releasably latching the segmental block to said hook portion and a connection arranged in the boat and operatively connected to the fastening means of said opposite hooks for simultaneouslyreleasing such pivotallymovable fastening means to permit automatic release of'the hooks when the strain of the load is released. In witness whereof, I have signed my name to the foregoing specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

, OWEN J. McGOl VAN. fVVitnesses: s

' G120. A. RIBLET,

EUGENE MGGOWAN. 

